Politics: UK: Scottish National Party (SNP) wins a plurality, becoming Scotland's largest party under proportional representation

BBC reports Scotland's election thru the prism of how the winners will form a coalition in the multi-party outcome of the vote, breaking Labour's 8-yr hold on the realm. "SNP begins coalition discussions" (May5,2k7).

The table of results looks like this:

Scottish National Party......47 seats
Labour Party.................46 seats
Conservative Party...........17 seats
Liberal Democratic Party.....16 seats
Green Party...................2 seats
Independent...................1 seat

The Electoral Commission has launched an inquiry after the election was marred by technical problems, delays and a high level of spoiled ballot papers.

Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he had concerns about the complexity of the voting system when he was Scottish secretary [in Westminster, London].

Most likely, it seems to me, SNP will make a written promise not to hold a Quebec-style referendum of separation from the United Kingdom (altho the Queen and her Heir would still be the successive monarchs of an independent Scotland, if I understand the constitutional situation correctly). The written agreement with the Liberal Democrats would permit the latter to enter the governing coalition, with the Greens then being all too happy to fill in the final 2 votes to secure the government's majority. Otherwise, it would have to be SNP + Tories + Greens + Independent. Is the math there? Perhaps, but not the poitics, it would seem.